Oil pollution and the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery : current and potential threats for the conservation of commercial fisheries resources in Placentia Bay

Carew, Andrea M. E. (2001) Oil pollution and the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery : current and potential threats for the conservation of commercial fisheries resources in Placentia Bay. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

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Abstract

Marine oil pollution and the continuing encroachment on marine habitats from the oil and marine transport industries pose a serious threat for the marine natural resources of Newfoundland and Labrador. The effects of oil pollution on highly visible marine wildlife such as seabirds, which are often dramatically affected by such events, have more recently been the subject of intense study. However, studies of the impacts of marine oil pollution on the commercial fisheries resources of Newfoundland and Labrador have not been as rigorously pursued. This study examines the marine oil pollution problem in Newfoundland and Labrador from both the marine transport industry and the oil industry operations currently underway within the province and their impacts on commercial fishery resources. The focus of the study is Placentia Bay, Newfoundland, where prominent oil handling operations, heavy marine traffic associated with the oil industry, and one of the richest fishery resources within the North Atlantic coexist. Chronic oil pollution is identified as a current and very real threat to fisheries conservation in southeastern Newfoundland and the Placentia Bay area. The threat of an oil tanker accident is also examined, with particular attention given to volume of tanker traffic, volume of oil transported through Placentia Bay, and oil spill response capacity for the Newfoundland and Labrador region. Also examined are the existing initiatives in place to address the issue of current and potential oil pollution threats to the fishery resources of Placentia Bay. Further, the shortcomings of these initiatives are identified and alternative preventative measures are suggested. Based on the number of reported oil pollution incidents and high seabird mortality within the region, the marine oil pollution problem of southeastern Newfoundland and Labrador is one of the worst in the world. However, the challenge of combating oil pollution is not unique to the region. Hence, the information provided for the current report draws upon other global regions and their experiences.

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